''Into the Forest'' is a 2015 Canadian apocalyptic

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film written and directed by Patricia Rozema, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by

Jean Hegland Jean Hegland (born November 1956) is an American novelist. Early life and education She was born and raised in Pullman, Washington, near the Washington/Idaho state line. Her mother taught high school and college level English, and was the Pullma ...

. It stars

Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor, producer, and activist. He is known for his leading roles across Canadian and American film and television, and for his outspoken work as an activist for LGBTQ righ ...

and

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...

as orphaned survivalist sisters in a forest without electrical power.

Plot

In the near future, two teenage sisters, Nell and Eva, live in a remotely located home with their father in a

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

. There is a massive, continent-wide

power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...

that appears to be part of a region-wide technological collapse. The car battery is drained, so they are left stranded for days. Their father eventually gets the car working and they make it to the nearest town, where they buy supplies including gas from a man named Stan. Eva later attends dance class while her sister meets up with her boyfriend, Eli. Returning home, they see a stranded car and the girls' father offers to help the passengers, but the family move on after they brandish guns. The father says that they will not return to town until the power is restored. Later, while cutting down a tree, he cuts his leg badly with a

chainsaw A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable handheld power saw, power saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. Modern chainsaws are typically gasoline or electric and are used in activities such as t ...

. Knowing he is bleeding to death, he tells the girls to take care of each other and love one another. They bury him where he died in the forest. At two months without power, the girls are low on food. They get by using the skills their father taught them, though they miss the creature comforts they used to enjoy. For example, Eva must dance to a

metronome A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...

since she can no longer dance to music. Eli arrives one night, having walked there looking for Nell. He says that all the surrounding houses are abandoned. Nell experiences sex for the first time with Eli. Later, he says there is electricity, food, order and jobs again in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He convinces Nell to go with him but she returns after only one night away, unwilling to leave Eva alone. Nell researches plants for food and medicine and

forages Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's Fitness (biology), fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Optimal foraging theory, Foraging theory is a branch of behaviora ...

. When Nell is certain she is not pregnant, she and Eva celebrate. Six months pass without power. While Nell is foraging in the forest, Eva is surprised by Stan while chopping wood. He assaults and rapes her, then steals most of the remaining gas and the car. As a result, Nell boards up the house and brings a gun with her whenever venturing outside while Eva stays indoors. At eight months without power, Eva experiences

morning sickness Morning sickness, also called nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), is a symptom of pregnancy. Despite the name, nausea or vomiting can occur at any time during the day. Typically the symptoms occur between the 4th and 16th weeks of pregnan ...

and realizes she is pregnant. Nell suggests an abortion but to her surprise, Eva wants to have the baby. Eva explains that she doesn't think any baby should be unwanted, that kids aren't responsible for their parents' actions, that it is its own person, and that she does not think she can lose anything else now. To help nourish Eva during her pregnancy, Nell hunts and

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...

s a pig. Fifteen months pass without power. Several roof beams break during a storm and Eva goes into labor. The continually weakening house creaks and groans as both the storm and Eva's labor progresses. Fearing the house will collapse, the sisters flee to a hollowed out tree stump that once served as their

play house "Play House" is a single by American pop music singer and songwriter Colette Carr. It was released on January 22, 2016 as the second single from her second studio album, '' Believe in Us''. The music video was released February 3, 2016. Lyrically ...

where Eva gives birth to a baby boy and rejoices. Returning to their ruined home, Eva decides to burn the house down with the remaining gas so they will be safe because anyone passing by will think they died in a fire. They gather all the food and items important to them: books, keepsakes and a family photo. At nightfall, they set the house ablaze, then journey into the forest.

Cast

as Nell *

as Eva *

Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born 14 September 1960) is a Canadian actor, based in British Columbia. His breakthrough role was as punk rocker Billy Tallent in the music mockumentary ''Hard Core Logo'' (1996), followed by a starring role as Det. Stanle ...

as Robert, Dad *

Michael Eklund Michael Eklund is a Canadian television and film actor who is known for playing the role of the villain or antihero. His characters are often described as being "creepy". His roles include a kidnapping, kidnapper who terrorizes characters playe ...

as Stan *

Max Minghella Max Giorgio Choa Minghella (born 16 September 1985) is a British actor. He is known for his roles in the films ''Syriana'' (2005), ''Art School Confidential'' (2006), '' Elvis and Anabelle'' (2007), ''The Social Network'' (2010), '' The Darkest ...

as Eli * Sandy Sidhu as Quiz Woman * Jordana Largy as Margot * Simon Longmore as Biker * Bethany Brown as Gabs * Brittany Willacy as Gigi *

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film ''The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, inc ...

as Mom

Production

Director

Megan Griffiths Megan Griffiths (born April 22, 1975) is an American film and television director who resides in Seattle, and is a board member of Northwest Film Forum. Early life and education Megan Griffiths was born in Ohio, lived in Moscow, Idaho in her tee ...

was considered to direct, but was ultimately passed on by the producers. On October 21, 2013,

and

joined the cast.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

and production began on July 28, 2014. On August 27, 2014,

and

joined the cast. Page learned how to butcher a pig in order to perform the process well in the film. Wood's methodical approach to getting into Eva's character included eating extremely small portions of food. During the assault scene, the pressure from her screaming caused the blood vessels in her eyes to burst.

Release

The film premiered in the Special Presentation section of the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

on September 12, 2015. Shortly thereafter,

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

and

DirecTV Cinema DirecTV Cinema (previously known as Direct Ticket, Blockbuster Ticket, Blockbuster Pay-Per-View Movies, and DirecTV Pay-Per-View) is DirecTV's video on demand and pay-per-view platform for film content. Films are released as is done on other pay- ...

acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, it premiered on DirecTV before showing theaters. In December 2015, the film was announced as part of TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten screening series of the ten best Canadian films of the year. It was released theatrically in 15 theaters in Canada on June 3, 2016, and in the United States on July 29.

Reception

Box office

The film played for one week in 15 theaters where it grossed nearly $10,000.

Critical response

''Into the Forest'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "''Into the Forest'' grounds its familiar apocalyptic framework with a relatable look at the bond between two sisters, compellingly brought to life by lliotPage and Evan Rachel Wood." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film holds a score of 59 out of 100, based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Notes

References

External links

* *
Into the Forest
' at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

{{Elliot Page 2015 films 2015 drama films 2015 independent films 2015 science fiction films 2010s Canadian films 2010s English-language films 2010s pregnancy films 2010s science fiction drama films A24 (company) films Apocalyptic films Bron Studios films Canadian independent films Canadian science fiction drama films Canadian survival films English-language Canadian films English-language independent films English-language science fiction drama films Films about sisters Films based on American novels Films based on science fiction novels Films directed by Patricia Rozema Films produced by Elliot Page Films scored by Max Richter Films set in forests Films set in the future Films shot in British Columbia Works about power outages